p. 132 | LONG PRAYERS

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 25, 1862

LONG PRAYERS.

LENGTHY prayers are generally wearisome and annoying. They injure the interest of social meetings, and when persisted in, often scatter the praying circle and cause the final death of the prayer-meeting. But these long-prayers seldom see this. They wear out the patience of their brethren, and destroy the interest and spirituality of the prayer-meeting, and at the same time think their prayers the most important part of the meeting. These persons should be patiently instructed. And if they become irritated under such instructions, then they give the clearest proofs that their hearts are not right with God.

We have some examples of prayer, in regard to length, in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus has given a model prayer in Matt. vi, 9-13. Now we propose that those who pray so long be instructed by this prayer and its connection. Take your watch and your Bible, and read this prayer very slowly, and you will hardly make out one minute. Then ask yourself what example, or what reason of any kind, have you for dragging out a formal prayer from five to fifteen minutes long. In secret, pray as long as you please. And if the Spirit of the Lord especially leads you out in prayer you will not be tedious to occupy from two to five minutes. But as a common custom prayers from one to three minutes long are more in accordance with both reason and revelation. We would here call especial attention to the teachings of Christ in connection with the Lord's prayer.

Matt. vi, 7. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking." This is certainly a clear illustration of most of the long, dry prayers of the present day. "Vain repetition." How some of these long prayers would look in print. They are composed of common expressions which everybody has learned by their oft repetition, strung together without the loss of one, till they sometimes reach the distressing length of from ten to fifteen minutes. No one is edified or instructed by such prayers. Christ and angels, and the poor mortals who remain bowed down, or sit upon their seats, are wearied in hearing these long, senseless prayers. "They think that they shall be heard for their much speaking," as if God looked upon the quantity, instead of the quality, of their prayers.

Verse 8. "Be not ye therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him." Some have to tell the Lord a great many long stories, as if informing him. It is in God's plan that we confess our sins to him before we find pardon; but besides this we do not believe that his ear is open to long stories from us about ourselves or our friends. "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him," hence you need not spend your time in informing him about such matters. But how should we pray? Our Lord says,

"After this manner pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." Matt. vi, 9-13.

Christ does not say that we should repeat this prayer word for word; but "after this manner pray ye." In regard to this manner of praying taught by Jesus Christ we would say,

1. It is, in usual speaking in prayer, about fifty seconds long.

2. It is free from those vain repetitions so disagreeable in these long prayers.

3. It comprehends the Christian's wants, temporal and spiritual, in few words.

Think of these things, brethren, and if you cannot by kind entreaties induce the long-prayers among you to come up to the injunction of our Lord, "After this manner therefore pray ye," invite them to repeat the Lord's prayer till they learn to pray short.